Gibson Lake

Iron County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

23ft Max
depth

84 acres 5 contours

Paddling Index68MixedMedium confidencesheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

0510152023

The lake

Survey readout

Gibson Lake is mapped to a depth of 23 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 84 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).

Deepest sounding: 23 ft
Mean depth: 10.4 ft · estimated
Surface area: 84 acres
Estimated volume: 878 acre-ft · 286M gal
Shoreline: 1.75 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 6% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–23 ft
Recorded point soundings: 23 ft

41.3% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 1.3% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Iron County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 81 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.

⚠ Not for navigation

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Map details & sources5 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 46.19903, -88.44291
MI DNR lake ID: L44581
Vertical exaggeration: 2.9×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21

68 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Gibson Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	27.3 of 35	81% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (57% forest, 23% wetland; 15% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	23.4 of 29	mean fetch 663 m · 5% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Good	8.4 of 18	some nearby classified roads · 9 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,034 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 6% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: High — 57% forest and 23% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025) and MI DNR bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from active stocking

No recent catch, survey, or stocking data for this lake.

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2002) — not shown above.

Compiled from Michigan DNR stockings within the last 10 years. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1984–2002

Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.

Walleye25,290 stocked · 1984–2002 · 11 plantings

No stockings recorded since 2002 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake

🎢 Playgroundon the lake

From OpenStreetMap community mapping — shown only where something is mapped; an amenity missing here may still exist. Distances are straight-line. Verify before you rely on it. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Crystal Bait≈8.7 mi · (906) 875-4434520 Crystal Falls, Crystal Falls · Google · Apple

Superior Sport & Feed LL LLC≈9 mi · (906) 841-113131 Superior Ave, Crystal Falls · Google · Apple

Luckey's Sport Shop≈9.4 mi3237 US Hwy, Iron River · Google · Apple

Dealers licensed by the Michigan DNR to sell live bait; listing is not an endorsement. Distances are straight-line, not driving — and call ahead: hours and stock change. Source: Michigan DNR retail bait dealer data.

Quick answers

Gibson Lake — common questions

How deep is Gibson Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Gibson Lake is 23 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Gibson Lake?

Gibson Lake covers about 84 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Gibson Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Gibson Lake is 10.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Gibson Lake?

No public launch for Gibson Lake appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.

More lakes in Iron County